Collapse of a crane can lead to serious injury and even loss of life. To address this safety issue, cranes are often attached to adjacent structures for added stability. One known technique for achieving this is to use a tie arm assembly. Tie back arms in such an assembly attach at one end to the body of the crane, such as a crane collar, and at the other end to the adjacent structure, often via an anchor fixed on the structure.
The spacing between the crane body and the structure to which the crane is attached can vary significantly depending on the structure to which the crane is attached. Traditionally, tie arm assemblies for use in stationary cranes are custom fabricated to the exact length required. However, custom fabrication is not only expensive but time consuming. The length adjustment can also be made using what is effectively a giant turnbuckle or adjustable shore post. A disadvantage of such an attachment is that there is a right-hand screw at one end and a left-hand screw at the other end which must be accessed after adjustment for proper securement of the crane to the structure. The physical height at which these units are installed makes this an expensive operation.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a crane tie arm assembly for connecting a crane to a structure that is simple in construction, easy to install and adjustable to a desired length, while ensuring structural integrity is maintained sufficiently. The embodiments disclosed herein seek to address the problems in known tie back arms or to provide one or more useful alternatives.